Dashing Warne grabs the spotlight

Shane Warne seized centre stage on his farewell from Test cricket with a potentially decisive contribution with the bat to move Australia closer to an Ashes whitewash in the final Test.

The legendary leg-spinner has carved his name into cricket's folklore through his feats with the ball, but on the third day at the SCG he played a key role with the bat to put Australia in control of the final Test.

Warne's 71 off 65 balls, which included nine fours and two sixes, rescued Australia from a potential first innings deficit to claim a 102-run lead and then the seamers went to work and reduced England to 83 for three in reply by late afternoon.

Until Warne entertained the crowd with his attacking brand of strokeplay, England were set for an unlikely first innings lead after seamer James Anderson dismissed Mike Hussey with the eighth ball of the day.

Australia had resumed still trailing by 103 runs on 188 for four, but were grateful to a determined 70-run stand between Adam Gilchrist and the unusually cautious Andrew Symonds.

Fresh from hitting the second fastest Test century of all time during the third Test in Perth, Gilchrist quickly got into his stride and took only two overs to signal his intentions by hitting Anderson through point for the first of eight boundaries in his 71-ball innings.

He enjoyed his fair share of luck and was dropped on 22 by Anderson at short extra cover after he attempted to drive Steve Harmison on the up and and hooked just short of Kevin Pietersen on the mid-wicket boundary off Sajid Mahmood on 48.

But his attacking display successfully guided Australia past England's first innings total after Symonds, who had been unusually cautious, was bowled during an impressive spell from left-arm spinner Monty Panesar.

England felt aggrieved that Panesar did not also claim a second wicket in the same over after Warne, who had launched him for a six and a four, appeared to be caught behind off the glove only for umpire Aleem Dar to reject the appeal.

That prompted a war of words between Warne and Paul Collingwood which umpire Billy Bowden had to step in to calm down the situation, but not before Warne had said: "Keep it coming, pal - you're just helping me to concentrate more."